Who Should I Start? Travis Etienne Jr. or Kyren Williams

Tuesday, January 27, 4:29 PM

Jacksonville Jaguars running back Travis Etienne Jr. was motivated in his contract year in 2025, and he delivered with 1,399 scrimmage yards and a career-high 13 touchdowns (seven rushing, six receiving) in 17 regular-season games. The 27-year-old posted his third 1,000-yard rushing season in his four years in the NFL, and it was a huge bounce-back campaign for the former Clemson star after he had only 558 rushing yards and two touchdowns in 2024 in 15 games. Determining Etienne's 2026 fantasy value is hard at the moment, since we don't know yet if the Jaguars plan to make an effort to re-sign him as he heads into his fifth year in the NFL. Etienne certainly outperformed expectations this year, but if he goes elsewhere, he might not see the kind of volume he did for the Jags as a dual-threat RB. If he stays in Duval, Etienne will be trying to hold off Bhayshul Tuten, who seems destined for a bigger role in 2026.

Wednesday, February 4, 4:06 PM

Los Angeles Rams running back Kyren Williams signed a three-year, $33 million contract extension with the team last fall before the start of the 2025 season and then went on to post his third straight 1,000-yard rushing season, along with 10 rushing touchdowns on 259 carries over 17 regular-season games. Williams didn't see as many carries as he did in 2024, but he was more efficient (4.8 yards per carry) and added a career-best 36 catches for 281 yards and three more scores on 50 targets. The 25-year-old has now had double-digit rushing TDs in each of the last three seasons, and he ended the 2025 campaign as the RB8 in half-PPR scoring. Backfield mate Blake Corum took on a bigger role late in the year as the Rams tried to keep Williams fresh for their playoff run, and he out-touched Corum in all three playoff games, which means he should maintain his lead-back role in 2026. As long as quarterback Matthew Stafford returns for another season, Williams figures to be a top-10 RB target in fantasy.